Cavaliers off to their worst start since '82

Jameel Sewell threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more, but it wasn't enough as Virginia dropped its third straight game to Southern Miss 37-34 on Saturday.

The Virginia offense seemed to grow by leaps and bounds but stalled in the second half on its final seven possessions while the Golden Eagles (3-0) mounted a comeback.

"We made a lot of progress today," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "I'm really proud of the fight the players showed and the unity they showed in sticking together and continuing to grind away. We're going down a different track now than we were previously."

Groh's point is tough to argue considering the Cavalier offense surpassed its offensive yard total from its second game against TCU in the first half of Saturday's game.

Sewell dominated the first two quarters, throwing for 197 yards and scoring once passing and once rushing. But when it mattered in the fourth quarter, Sewell was four of 12 passing for 35 yards and was sacked twice.

The senior quarterback was involved in 69 of Virginia's 90 offensive plays either passing or rushing.

"I was gassed," Sewell said. "But what are you going to do? You just have to keep working and keep playing."

After the Golden Eagle offense scored a touchdown on its first possession of the second half on a field shortened to 32 yards by return man Freddie Parham, the Cavalier offense picked up right where it left off in the first half.

Sewell marched Virginia 86 yards in 11 plays and capped the drive himself with a one-yard run.

But Parham returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, pulling the Eagles to 34-17.

"Clearly that was a big momentum changer," Groh said. "I saw it coming. We didn't fit on the blocks properly at a number of spots. Special teams, every play it's a jamboree."

After the return, the bottom seemed to fall out for Virginia.

The Cavalier defense had held Southern Miss to 57 rushing yards in the first half but was gashed for 157 in the second half.

The Eagles put together two more touchdown drives on their next four possessions, one an eight-play march, the other a 57-yard run by tailback Tori Harrison.

"Going into the game, we knew we would face diversity," Harrison said. "We had to play hard to win this game. To be honest, at that point in the game, I think their defense was tired."

Virginia had one possession to change the outcome at the end but stalled at its own 45 when Sewell's final two passes of the game were batted down along the sideline.

Groh said he sees growth in his quarterback.

"Obviously the quarterback had a real good game and he's finding his stride," Groh said. "I'm very pleased with what Jameel did, both in his performance and the competitiveness that he showed. He showed his teammates that they can jump on his back, he's going to try to carry them."

For the Cavaliers, who are 0-3 for the first time since the 1982 season, it was a different way to lose but apparently left the same bitter taste.

"I would say it's even more frustrating," cornerback Chris Minnifield said. "But as a team, we're going to take this as a building stone and go back to work tomorrow. We keep on getting better because obviously, our hard work has paid off.